Ireland is one of most competitive milk producers since end of quotas

Ireland is one of the “most competitive” milk producers in the EU since the abolition of milk quotas in April 2015, according to a new study. Researchers have identified that Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Ireland are among the most competitive member states in relation to milk production growth since the quota system ended. They also found that the number of specialist dairy farms in Ireland has remained “relatively unchanged” over the last decade. The new study highlights that farmer owned co-ops have a “high market share” of more than 50% in Scandinavian countries, and also in Ireland, the Netherlands, France and Austria. One key characteristic of the EU milk sector since the abolition of the quota system, according to the latest research, is that it is “less insulated from world dairy market price developments” than it previously was. “EU milk prices have become more volatile over the last 20 years,” it sets out. The study produced for the European ...